oxycodone vs. hydrocodne – which is better?

Everyone has at one time or another experienced pain and has reached for one drug or another to get pain relief. This pain may be due to illness or injury. A look at oxycodone vs hydrocodone which are both narcotic analgesics gives a clearer picture of the use of pain relievers as well as their potential dangers.

Oxycodone is used in the reduction of pain without completely removing the sensation of pain. It also sedates and causes the depression of respiration, as well as constipation. It does this by interacting with the synapses in the brain to alter the way the body responds to pain, as well as the body’s response to the stimulation to cough. It may be taken orally in tablet or liquid form, and is stored at moderate temperatures from fifteen degrees Celsius to thirty degrees celcius. Oxycodone is usually administered to adults for extended release. Safety for persons pregnant women for this drug has not been established. The side effects of oxycodon includes nausea, headaches, sedation, itching, vomiting, rash and constipation.

Hydrocodone is very similar to oxycodone. It however has to be used in combination with another compound, such as, acetaminophen for the relief of pain; or chlorheniramine for cough and congestion relief. It also functions by altering the way the body responds to pain and congestion. The side effects are also the same. Both have a dependency tendency, which may lead to overdose if not careful. Both have been cited as the root cause of 38,300 deaths associated with narcotic abuse.
So, oxycodone vs hydrocodone – is there a difference? Different patients react to each drug differently. For patients who used the drugs for pain in an online survey conducted by WebMd’s user review, both drugs scored within similar ranges for satisfaction, ease of use and effectiveness. The scores were out of 5 and were 3.59, 4.28 and 3.69 respectively for hydrocodone in combination with acetaminophen. While the scores for oxycodone were 3.72, 4.35 and 3.91 respectively. For overall use with total reviews of 3731 for hydrocodone and 1870 for oxycodone, both had similar numbers as with pain relief, where the ratio was similarly 2:1, oxycodone had the edge over hydrocodone. It must be noted that these results are not statistically significant despite the 2:1 ratio.

It could be said that the effectiveness of oxycodone vs hydrocodone is at the individual level dependent on the body chemistry of the individual, as well as the condition associated with the pain experienced by the patient. This is addition with associated drugs combined makes this comparison somewhat complex to weigh. On the surface, oxycodon, would seem to have the edge over hydrocodone in relieving pain, based on the reviews cited.
On Drugs.com, the user ratings were presented in the case of hyrdocodone for cough and cough symptoms at 9.4 out of ten; and in the case of oxycodone, for pain relief, user ratings were at 8.8 out of 10. The site’s disclaimer indicated that though these were extensive user reviews, the results as in that for WedMd’s only reflected the opinion of the user.

Medically, in the case of oxycodone vs hydrocodone, for the complete relief of pain hydrocodone is the better drug hands down. For the complete relief of cough and cold symptoms, hydrocodone has an edge but not by much, as the body reacts in a similar manner to either drug.